CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 8

CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the above council was held at Balclutha on Friday. There were present — Crs John Johnston (chairman), W. Hay, J. B. Mitchell, D. A. M'Lachlan, A. C. Saunders, J. M'JSTeil, J. Clarke, D. Robertson, and J. Gumming

CORBE SPONDENCE.

James Morrison, G-lenomarxi, wrote asking for four chains formation and a culvert on road through his property, and offering to do the work for. £9. — Left in the hands of the engineer and member for the riding.

John Esler, Owaka, wrote" advising the council' that, he was -going to fall for fence line about 30.chains.bushfOn section 79, block VIII, "alongside the road line leading to Mr G-. Abernethy's place. As the greater parf of the bush ,on road line', was lying, over to. the proposed fence-line, 'it. would be impossible ;to 'clear the" road afterwards .without damaging "fence. lie, therefore, asked the council to fall bush on road line or do something to save the fence. He was agreeable to do the work ai 5s a chain. — Cr Saunders understood that the engineer I i had bee'si.-tryiiig to" airange this matter, and ihe moved that it be left in. his "hands.— Carried. I James Townley, Waitepeka wrote asking an ljc tension of time of one month in which to complete his contract, as the weather had kept him back with his harvest.— Crrantes.

.Donald M'Gregor, Popotunoa, wrote agaiu requesting the council io have portion of Main Clinton-Giyderale road formed— froni section 2 block X, and, section 22, block XV, Pomahaka 1 Downs" Estate, to Pomahaka River. He re-|-peated his offer of last year to do the ploughj ing necessary for the grading. There were j some culverts along the Pomahaka River which needed looking after.— The engineer was authorised to" attend to the matter. />/ > The Secretary Indian famine relief fund forwarded several circulars iiTconnection with the matter —Several councillors mentioned that steps had already been taken in their various districts.— Circular received, and clerk to ad--vise the Mayor, of' Dunedin what was being done. • - rt The Manager Bank of New Zealand, BalCiutha, wrote asking the-council to pass formal resolutions authorising the anticipation of the ! -ensuing year's revenue by way of overdraft — On the, motion- of Crs M'L'achlan and. Hay, itee j chairman- to attend to-ihe-matter in the usual way. ~ ■ ' ~ r ' Sydney Barratt, Upper Catlins, wrote com- • plaimng-thafr he had ieceived-no answer from the engineer'' re 'the-wirerope' he, asked -the.councir. for sonle* time' ago. ' There " were" £S' "thirds" to his- credit;— Cr SaimderVhad seen Mr Barratt, aiid came to the conclusion that wire rope was very" -expensive, and % thought several strands of ordinary galvanised wire would be as effective, and very 1 much cheaper, and Mr Barratt was agreeable to accept four coils of .wire.— Cr M'Neil .proposed that Mr Bar*ratt be allowed- the necessary wire, and be permitted to erect the footbridge on his' own responsibility.—Seconded by Cr Saunders, ana carried. James B. Heywood, secretary to the Treasury, Wellington, telegraplied on April 12 that the £3000 loan for metalling was available, and on the 17th April he advised' that the sum ot £1000, being the amount immediately required, had -been paid into the credit of the county" fund account. — Received.

The Secretary of the United District of Central Otago Charitable Aid --Board wrote asking the council to remit the sum of £37 monthly, being on the basis of last year's payment, till the new valuation was adjusted.— The Hospital iSoavd wrote to a similar effect; monthly payment, £22 18s Id.— Received, and request to be complied with.

J. A. Anderson, Waiwera, wrote stating that some few months ago the council promised to do a few chains of metalling on the ClintonPuerua road opposite Mr Rhodes's house, and it was stated that tenders- were to be called for the work as soon as formation was completed. The formation has now been finished some time, and ifr metalling was not soon taken in hand, he was afraid the road, would get badly cut up during the winter month's.—Metalling to ..be. done as soon as the riding funds would allow of it.

R.-G-rigor, surveyor, forwarded plans showing alterations. and exchanges in roads "in allotment of Clydevale estate, being parts of sections 24, 25/-26, and 29, and all of sections 27 arid 30, block 7 X, and part of section 21, block VI, Pomahaka survey district. — Approved of, and matter to be put through" as expe'ditiously as possible.,- • • ...

" THIRDS " MONEY, CA.TLINS BIDING. D. M'Dougall, James Friend, James Black, P. G-linnan, James Bain, and John Bain, Tahatika, wrote petitioning the council to have road leading through sections- 1, 2, and 21 to 28, block VII, and section 50, block IV, repaired. One very bad piece running parallel with the creek required to be widened and several trees removed. In places water running ..down the road had cut several bad holes. They understood there was a good sum of-inoney lying to tlie credit of this road, • and they would be very grateful if it were expended. ' j Cr Saunders said this brought them back to the " thirds " business. - He found thatthe sum of £39 was in- credit in respect of this road. He moved that the engineer inspect this road, and call for tenders for thcneceosaiy work.

Cr Hay seconded the motion.

'Cr Mitchell asked where, the money was to come from. The riding 'was already considerably in arrear. *" , Cr M'Lachlaii said it would be very desirable if the engineer were in attendance while the' correspondence was being read. There were always matters arising "in which it was necessary to refer to him.

The letter being read to* the Engineer, he said there was a credit balance at March 31 last of £44 10s 9d in respect of this road. '-. Cr Sauriders said he understood that before ,ihese moneys were paid over by the Land Board the engineer had'to prepare a schedule setting forth where the money .was to be spent, and- it Vas handed.ovei 1 by the Land Board to be spent by .the coimcil on Jhe roads explicitly stipulated. Now, if this nioney had not been spent on these roads, it had been misappropriated. The council took over the money," but never seemed to carry out the conditions. -It "was the council's fault that the money had not been spent. -It had received the -money. The settlers should not be- made ,to cuff er through the careleEsne.33.. of the council.' ■ r '

driblets of as low as 13s at a time, and it wa'a allowed to accumulate. . The_ sum" inentionect. was to the cre'dii of the* road in -question. ' In: certain other roads, which he mentioned, thera' was a debit balance. But it would come right' as the " thirds " came in. ', Cr M'Neil asked, if the money was to be spent now, would it come out of the riding fund oe out of the county fund? If the money had not? been spent it was unfair to the settlers who; had taken up their-sections on the understanding that these roads would be made. The' money not having been spent in the riding-, where had it been spent? . -

Several Councillors : -In -the riding. *Cr Clarke said there was a metalling ~cbr# tract for £300 in Catlins Riding, and four sur-i facemen were employed, these latter alone jllw sorbing all the general rate. , Cr Satmders said.that the metalling -was done the summer before Jast, and on the 30thrSep-< tember last there was shown- a credit balance ,; of JEIOOO, in addition to which there was sy credit of £297 separate rate. . The Clerk said there had been £1000 expended in the Catlins Riding for the 12 months up to March 31.

Cr Gumming said that Cr Saunders was evidently under the impression that the money had been spent in other portions of the* county. Such was not the case. It had all been spent in the_ Catlins Riding, but the books did 'Hot show it properly.

Cr-Hay said me only way to adjust matters would be to go through all the accounts for " the past four or five years; and: bring s out\ the; total expenditure in the Catlins "Hiding for. that i~ period

Cr Saunders said it was very Unsatisfactory to have tlie credit balance shown, arid 'at the same time to be told the'raoney had bee^spent. A He suggested a special audit 'of- the aqcounts o"r the Catlins' Biding 'for the five, years. -.-. , Several Councillors demurred to this as being expensive. \ ' , The Clerk .said* he" could' have a pretty corn- ' p-lete-'statemen't preparetl by 'Itieadayl " "• <- i ■ Cr Hay suggested that an" accountant" -go " - through the vouchers. He was / -do'ub"ufi;l»'ii iihe clork had time. -""" ' •' - ' >Sey^i-al Councillors nientionedrvthai/ the difficulty Sirose through the " thirds "' being paid into the general fund, and *io special account kept of it. - - " ■ .

Cr M'Neil said this seemed to be' 1 the main, cause of -the trouble, and he. was 'prepared to move that in future a separate bairk 'account be kept of the lanjl fund account. . -After some discussion the 'niatter dropp£d, the understanding being that the clerlc^was to go into the whole matter and submit a state-" ment

At a subsequent stage of "the", meetings Cr "• Saunders asked what had' been done'tii- regard^'" to the Government grants for roads in "blocks' X and XII, JWoodlands, which. had never been, applied for. — He was informed that" the necessary applications had been made for the money. KOADS AND WORKS. "

- The Engineer, in his monthly report, .stated . that according toinstructions tenders had'been - called foj:-. works on Big HiU^-road and on. Mokomoko road, Catlins Riding.' Contract's completed since last meeting were No. 862 on Clinton-Puerua road, and No. 853 on "Riverside, road, Invertiel. Works on contracts, ow,ing to scarcity of labour and harvest,', had . not made much progress during the month. The formed - clay were in. good order up" to" the -rain, this "week. In regard to 'Miller's-. application - to "gek main, T?pp'er-,CallLns road "repaired^- this;^; Ava's. being.' attended to, -but, wHat.iw'as- wanfec£~ j was formation." .fie had 'inspected the AliurinWaiweraxoad. which Messrs !"jpenee, Anderson,/' f and Easson want put in repair. t The road "was 1 - 1 .in Tfaii.-ly-'gooclrorclei\ culvert o* two was reV - quired and some stumps .removed, 7also-' some 7 : ditching done. But'if heavy carting.-was to be !.•! .• done, the r oad- would jfery soon inipass-;. "able. In regard to Jsir Robertson's application '_ 'fco'-put gates on - street- line at Wa'ipabi,>".thTS I street had not been formed? aitd-Avak impassable" for traffic, and so far, as council, was. con- -> cerned he law no objection to granting the" 1 request. , „ *' Cr Gumming said in regard to Mr 'Robertson's request to put gates on a street line -at j Waipahi, he had made inquiries, and had come * to the conclusion that he could not see.his way, to move in favour of the request being granted.' - The report was adopted on the motion "of Cr ' Hay. ' x " . - . - r , Tenders were accepted- as follows: — ContractNo. 875, T..E. Steele, £45. No. 876,- _C. E., M'Phee, £11 10s; the only tender received for the ditching in this contract was considered too high, and fresh tenders were ordered to be called.

It was agreed v to allow Mr "Gray the sum of £7 10s foi> damage sustained by floods at hia contract at Waiwera bridge. - - , • , Cr Saunders thought it would be - a pity to lose the £100 Government vote, .Owaka-Clinton road. So far i as the subsidy of £■ for £.was concerned, he thought it .could be paid out, of the rates. He moved — " That' the -^ money be accepted on the conditions named, and that * the chairman sign" the necessary document."^— Seconded -by Cr Hay, and carried. In reply to Cr Saunders, the- Engineer saul _ he had seen Mr P. Miller with regard to-thjs'"~ road to his property. Mr 'Miller was agreeaßle, *to do the work for £25, which he consfifereil'V reasonable. — On "Ci Saundeis's lnotiorf-'tlie- £h-V gineer was empowered to arrange witlf' -Ibfix i' Miller accordingly. " " , . "J v - FINANCIAL. " _ "'..," ; , The -monthly pay-sheet, amounting .to, .£349'.12s 4d,.was passed for payment. ' ' ' ~; "' • Tlie Clerk mentioned that the receipts for the month were -£703 12s lid. , " , ' "i C BtAngeb for richaudson eibing: v j The .Chairman- proposed—" That John -Fair^". quhar be appointed ranger for Richardson RiS- ' ing at, a salary of £5 a year."— Mr Gumming seconded the motion, which was carried r r ' „,